had a one-bedroom apartment, so there wasn’t a lot of stuff to bring. My mom has most of the furniture I need for now, so I left anything bulky behind.”
“What are you doing for a car now?”
“I get a rental occasionally, but mostly I use my mom’s truck,” she said.
He laughed. “The elegant Callie Stone driving a beat up 1996 Ford Ranger around town. I’ve got to see this.”
She liked it that he called her elegant. “Believe me, every time I get in it I feel the same way. I’m keeping my eye out for something more suitable to my dignity. Besides, she needs it some of the time, so it’s not one hundred percent convenient for either of us.” Callie realized the conversation had so far focused on her.
“And what about you? Skinner’s finest solve any large crimes while I was out of town? Take out any major drug rings?”
“No, after our excitement this past summer, it’s been relatively quiet. We had to arrest some tree protesters at the university.”
“That’s not out of the norm here, is it?”
He shook his head. “No. There’s a protest of some sort every other week. It’s a local industry. Speaking of the summer, did you hear what Stephen Felson did?”
Callie remembered Stephen from the Slug Queen pageant. He was a librarian by trade and had been almost murdered by his wife, the former mayor of Skinner. “No. From what little I knew of him, I assumed he would pack up and leave. He seemed very shy and someone who wouldn’t be happy to be in the public eye.”
“I would have said the same thing,” said Scott. “Instead, he offered to take up the remainder of Dot’s term. He’s interim mayor until the election next year.”
“You’re kidding me. What would make him do that?”
“Apparently, the memory of his late girlfriend. He said that as she would never get the chance to be mayor, he’d do it for her.”
“Wow. Love leads people to unexpected places,” she said.
They were both silent for a few moments. “How are the girls?” she asked.
“They’re fine,” he said, giving a tight smile. “Audrey is treating me better lately, but I think it’s going to be difficult to be a part-time father. Right now, I’m still only getting short visits and they seem to grow so much between each time I see them. I feel as if I’m missing a lot.”
“How’s Audrey? I haven’t seen her since I’ve gotten back into town.” She knew he would understand she was referring to Audrey’s drug use.
“I think she’s good. Something gave her a jolt over the summer. The drug trade slowed after we put Sheldon Normal away. Maybe that was enough to make her realize that’s not a lifestyle choice that was good for her, or the girls.”
“Maybe she’s growing up. When we went out over the summer I thought that for her, life had never moved on from high school.”
“I can understand that,” he said. “From a relationship standpoint, she was always tied to me. When we got divorced it’s possible she found some things in the world had passed her by.”
“And she now has kids. Someone else to be responsible for,” said Callie. “I think it just took her awhile to understand that.”
“Maybe,” he said.
Callie changed the subject, not wanting the evening to focus on his failed marriage. “Do you still hang out with anyone from our high school days? Do they still do reunions?”
“I’ve seen the invitations, but I haven’t gone. I don’t think I have much in common with people from those days. Besides, Skinner is such a small place, I see a lot of them around, so a reunion seems sort of pointless to me.”
“Don’t say that,” she said, laughing. “You’re talking about my livelihood here. If people stop having parties and reunions, what will I do?”
“I can’t imagine you not being able to think of something,” he said, his eyes sparkling.
Their conversation continued on
“What are you doing for a car now?”
“I get a rental occasionally, but mostly I use my mom’s truck,” she said.
He laughed. “The elegant Callie Stone driving a beat up 1996 Ford Ranger around town. I’ve got to see this.”
She liked it that he called her elegant. “Believe me, every time I get in it I feel the same way. I’m keeping my eye out for something more suitable to my dignity. Besides, she needs it some of the time, so it’s not one hundred percent convenient for either of us.” Callie realized the conversation had so far focused on her.
“And what about you? Skinner’s finest solve any large crimes while I was out of town? Take out any major drug rings?”
“No, after our excitement this past summer, it’s been relatively quiet. We had to arrest some tree protesters at the university.”
“That’s not out of the norm here, is it?”
He shook his head. “No. There’s a protest of some sort every other week. It’s a local industry. Speaking of the summer, did you hear what Stephen Felson did?”
Callie remembered Stephen from the Slug Queen pageant. He was a librarian by trade and had been almost murdered by his wife, the former mayor of Skinner. “No. From what little I knew of him, I assumed he would pack up and leave. He seemed very shy and someone who wouldn’t be happy to be in the public eye.”
“I would have said the same thing,” said Scott. “Instead, he offered to take up the remainder of Dot’s term. He’s interim mayor until the election next year.”
“You’re kidding me. What would make him do that?”
“Apparently, the memory of his late girlfriend. He said that as she would never get the chance to be mayor, he’d do it for her.”
“Wow. Love leads people to unexpected places,” she said.
They were both silent for a few moments. “How are the girls?” she asked.
“They’re fine,” he said, giving a tight smile. “Audrey is treating me better lately, but I think it’s going to be difficult to be a part-time father. Right now, I’m still only getting short visits and they seem to grow so much between each time I see them. I feel as if I’m missing a lot.”
“How’s Audrey? I haven’t seen her since I’ve gotten back into town.” She knew he would understand she was referring to Audrey’s drug use.
“I think she’s good. Something gave her a jolt over the summer. The drug trade slowed after we put Sheldon Normal away. Maybe that was enough to make her realize that’s not a lifestyle choice that was good for her, or the girls.”
“Maybe she’s growing up. When we went out over the summer I thought that for her, life had never moved on from high school.”
“I can understand that,” he said. “From a relationship standpoint, she was always tied to me. When we got divorced it’s possible she found some things in the world had passed her by.”
“And she now has kids. Someone else to be responsible for,” said Callie. “I think it just took her awhile to understand that.”
“Maybe,” he said.
Callie changed the subject, not wanting the evening to focus on his failed marriage. “Do you still hang out with anyone from our high school days? Do they still do reunions?”
“I’ve seen the invitations, but I haven’t gone. I don’t think I have much in common with people from those days. Besides, Skinner is such a small place, I see a lot of them around, so a reunion seems sort of pointless to me.”
“Don’t say that,” she said, laughing. “You’re talking about my livelihood here. If people stop having parties and reunions, what will I do?”
“I can’t imagine you not being able to think of something,” he said, his eyes sparkling.
Their conversation continued on
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